Andrea Rizzi
Andrea Rizzi is a journalist at the international desk for Spanish daily El País.
Updated: 27 July 2009
Sources and authors
By Andrea Rizzi
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Arab revolutions: What is really awaiting Europe
21 February 20111631 El País Madrid -
Economic crisis: Crisis boosts European military cooperation
12 August 201022 El País Madrid -
Finance: States vs markets: an unfair fight
8 July 2010281 El País Madrid -
European Union: Soft power no match for hard reality
27 July 2009244 El País Madrid
Terrorism, immigration, the economy: for Europeans, the wave of revolts that have shaken the Arab world is fraught with dangers that are not altogether clear. El País has tried to unravel truth from falsehood. 
Blocked by national interests, European military cooperation is still at an embryonic stage. However, the economic crisis has encouraged member states to break new ground in their quest to take advantage of synergies and share common resources and defence infrastructure. 
Since the crisis broke in 2008, the nation-state has been overwhelmed by new players in a changing world. The EU 27, bereft of political leadership, are the case in point. 
While defence budgets have continued to rise in China, Russia, the United States and India, military spending in the EU has remained stagnant over the last ten years. For El País, Europe's global influence is now based on soft power, which cannot adequately replace the hard power of a real common defence policy.